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The Cairns Indigenous Art Fair is over for another year. Once again we were greeted warmly by the fair staff and other exhibitors as we began unloading and installing the work. Umbrella again took up the flame as the only arts organisation from Townsville present. It should be noted however that there were Townsville schools present with displays in the marketplace by their creative Indigenous students. Our exhibition walls were directly across from Gail Mabo, who we shared a lot of discussions, laughs, and even tears with. Gail’s work represented the land claim maps her father Eddie Koiki Mabo drew for the courts in the Mabo case for Native Title, and the star which was recently named to honour him. Umbrella showcased new works by Arone Meeks, Toby Cedar, Obery Sambo, and Tommy Pau which were a preview to a body of work we hope to tour: “Legacy”….Read More

13 – 16 July 2017 2017 marks the 25th anniversary of the landmark Native Title Act, as well as the untimely passing of Eddie Koiki Mabo, whose activism helped change Australia for the better for future generations. In celebration of this momentous event, Umbrella will be presenting at CIAF a preview of some of the works being presented in a forthcoming touring exhibition, Legacy: Reflections on Mabo. Curated by Gail Mabo and Jonathan McBurnie, the exhibition is set to launch on Mabo Day 2019, the exhibition will bring together Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists in the spirit of reconciliation, and celebrates a complex man for complex times. The CIAF display will feature the work of Arone Meeks, Ian Kaddy, Toby Cedar, Obery Sambo, Tommy Pau and Gail Mabo.

Expressions of interest to participate in Pop-Up North Queensland closed on Friday 19 May 2017 and we received our target of 30 artists! Thank you to everyone who have shown interest and put in an application! So many exciting and unique applications were received including a wide variety of painting styles, photography, printmaking, puppetry games and performances, textile art, ceramics, sculpture, film, and bar fly talks including a pop-up bar. Artists also expressed interest in holding workshops in fabric dying, drawing, petal couture, painting, nautical knotting, and weaving, woven milk crates and building an onsite Trojan Horse. Pop-Ups will also feature artists in action in areas of painting, printmaking, pottery, drawing and photography such as creating 100 portraits on 100 different lenses (of visitors to the festival)! Several empty shops have been secured in the CBD such as Northtown, Flinders Street, Denham Street, and Stokes Street. Artists will be given…Read More

After almost three months of working solidly on our Groovin Grub (official name) for the Groovin the Moo festival, the sculpture is almost complete! We have had an amazing turn out from the community to help us create it, with 80 people contributing over 600 hours of their time. The GTM site crew came to visit us this week to check it out. Lynn Scott-Cumming led this project to turn and idea into reality – an outstanding achievement to everyone involved.

Umbrella Studio Association Incorporated is a not-for-profit contemporary arts organisation, which began as a space for emerging Townsville artists, and whilst retaining this, has evolved to become an important centre for contemporary art in North Queensland. Umbrella Studio recognises the need to build on its past achievements, and to continue to provide support for contemporary artists through its annual program of exhibitions and associated activities. 2016 Annual General Meeting 6:00pm Thursday 30 March 2016 Umbrella Studio, 482 Flinders Street, Townsville Election of 2017 Management Committee Nominations received: President – Ann Roebuck Vice President – David White Secretary – Michael Pope Treasurer – Sarah Standen General member – Laura Castell General member – Stephen Naylor General Member – Lydia Rigano General Member – Justin Ankus All members are invited to attend the meeting and participate in the election of the 2017 Management Committee. A list of nominees and their statements will be available…Read More

Wanton, Wild & Unimagined is a playful exhibition of sculptured recycled plastics that stirs the imagination and evokes environmental reflection. Environmental artist Alison McDonald has spent many hours manipulating the humble plastic bottle, and collecting thousands of plastic lids to make a variety of unimagined and impossible creations inspired by plants, oceans and John Wyndham’s book The Day of the Triffids. McDonald’s artwork sits at the junction of sculpture, consumer culture and environmental concern; utilising multiples of individual recycled materials to create new forms and perhaps re-shape our thinking about plastic and its effect on our environment. McDonald’s own version of the Triffids manipulate plastic bottles into large and colourful-looking plants to such an extent that their original form is lost, whereas large-scale works such as Flow and Global leave the original form intact so we can see the impact of small plastic items on an enormous scale. By converting…Read More

The Hive Collective is an exciting initiative that will offer spaces in local heritage listed building Lilac Court, Wickham Street, Townsville for free. Spaces will be made available exclusively to individuals or businesses who make use of the premises for the purpose of manufacture of products or delivery of services that are uniquely Townsville. Click here to read The Hive Collective Expression of Interest Form

Dear Umbrella members, A fellow Umbrella member has decided to give away many useful pieces of photographic equipment, preferring to see them go to an artist to use, rather than be thrown out or sold on ebay. This equipment includes an enlarger, developing trays, film, a camera, a projector and other related items. If you would like these, please email Jan Hynes with the subject ‘photographic equipment’ at janhynes2@bigpond.com Please note, this is pickup only, so Townsville residents (and surrounds) need only apply.

Yesterday it was announced that Umbrella Studio, along with 38 other arts organisations across Queensland would be co-funded for four-years from 2017-2020. This is very welcome news after not having received organisation funding from Australia Council who had their total budget slashed leaving many arts organisations left unfunded and uncertain about their future. Umbrella has received $150,000 for four years ($600,000 total) plus VACS funding of $55,000/year for the same period. This four-year commitment paves a sustainable future for the organisation as we now have some security to search for funding, sponsorship, philanthropy, or earned revenue to fill in the gap left by Australia Council. The co-investment from AQ in 2017 is up from 2016’s level of $121,500 showing the Arts Minister and Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s commitment to the arts in Queensland, and the many benefits it provides to a community. The important thing to remember about our Arts Queensland…Read More

JCU is running a series of industry and community evening engagement events in August, September and October. The free events will run on Wednesday nights 5:30-7:00pm at The Rum Garden, Heritage Exchange, Flinders East, Townsville. The series is called Removing the Boundaries – as in the boundaries between ‘town’ and ‘gown’ and also between civic leaders/professionals/stakeholders/members of the public involved in different aspects of our city’s and region’s life. The first of these is entitled ‘Co-creating Townsville Futures’. This first free event will run on Wednesday August 17th. How can Townsville and NQ co-create to innovate? …to what futures should the region aspire? The informal panel will be MC’d by Mr Warwick Powell, and each of the panel members will answer questions about what informs their vision for Townsville, but also any views that you might have about how the civic leadership, business, institutions and the community, may work together…Read More

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We take pride in our unique part of the world and celebrate our difference. We strive to create a vibrant city by supporting the arts in education, job creation, skills development and community engagement.

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Umbrella Studio acknowledges the financial support of: the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, the Commonwealth Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body, and the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy, an initiative of the Australian, State and Territory Governments. Townsville City Council is proud to support Umbrella's studio operations under it's Community Grants program.